Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse ……. Another lamentable batting display by Derbyshire. We are probably stuck with this batting lineup at least until the end of next season. At that stage Reece , Came and Guest are all out of contract. If fitness is proved Reece on the back of his figures is probably deserving of a short extension at age 36 Came 4 hundreds in 100 FC innings average 31 and Guest 8 hundreds in 124 innings average 31 are certainly not. They need a really good season for it to be even considered. Came has never really kicked on with his figures always much the same, often looking like being ready to be dropped but then pulling out a decent score to save himself. But how long can we persist with this mediocrity? Guest in many ways is more worrying. Four or five years ago he looked a decent number three but since then he has been in a slow decline culminating in him being correctly dropped down the order. Amazingly there have been calls for him to go back up to number 3! When I played cricket you earned the right to go up the order by weight of runs. You certainly weren’t rewarded by averaging 20 like this season. If Derbyshire and MA are serious about being competitive we cannot expect to progress with batsmen who have had many years at the club with figures such as these. Paul
I would argue for Guest at 3 personally. I understand your point entirely about his more recent statistics but my counter would be that when he was at 3 he did score plenty of runs. Despite contributing his fair share, he got moved down. To my eyes, he wasn’t moved for under performance.
You wouldn’t play Harry Kane at left back and expect him to score 50 goals in a season for you. You also wouldn’t stick him there if he’d scored 50 goals in one season. Brooke scored runs and got moved down.
I’m not saying I’m right and you’re wrong, just offering a different perspective. I do agree with Came, although to me he seems to be being groomed as the next 4-day captain. I’d keep Reece as long as his body lets him carry on.
People rightly criticise very high scoring bore draws but county cricket really needs to do something about most teams preparing so called result wickets. Plenty of counties are now preparing extremely green seam bowler friendly wickets which makes for very unskilled cricket. 70 mph seamer runs up batsman plays and misses or edges to slip. Repeat almost every ball all day long. No spinners and not many cover drives in sight all day. Having said that our batting does look abysmal
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse …….
ReplyDeleteAnother lamentable batting display by Derbyshire. We are probably stuck with this batting lineup at least until the end of next season. At that stage Reece , Came and Guest are all out of contract.
If fitness is proved Reece on the back of his figures is probably deserving of a short extension at age 36
Came 4 hundreds in 100 FC innings average 31 and Guest 8 hundreds in 124 innings average 31 are certainly not. They need a really good season for it to be even considered. Came has never really kicked on with his figures always much the same, often looking like being ready to be dropped but then pulling out a decent score to save himself. But how long can we persist with this mediocrity?
Guest in many ways is more worrying. Four or five years ago he looked a decent number three but since then he has been in a slow decline culminating in him being correctly dropped down the order. Amazingly there have been calls for him to go back up to number 3! When I played cricket you earned the right to go up the order by weight of runs. You certainly weren’t rewarded by averaging 20 like this season.
If Derbyshire and MA are serious about being competitive we cannot expect to progress with batsmen who have had many years at the club with figures such as these.
Paul
I would argue for Guest at 3 personally. I understand your point entirely about his more recent statistics but my counter would be that when he was at 3 he did score plenty of runs. Despite contributing his fair share, he got moved down. To my eyes, he wasn’t moved for under performance.
DeleteYou wouldn’t play Harry Kane at left back and expect him to score 50 goals in a season for you. You also wouldn’t stick him there if he’d scored 50 goals in one season. Brooke scored runs and got moved down.
I’m not saying I’m right and you’re wrong, just offering a different perspective. I do agree with Came, although to me he seems to be being groomed as the next 4-day captain. I’d keep Reece as long as his body lets him carry on.
Chris in Shropshire
Sub optimal. Again.
ReplyDeleteAndy
People rightly criticise very high scoring bore draws but county cricket really needs to do something about most teams preparing so called result wickets. Plenty of counties are now preparing extremely green seam bowler friendly wickets which makes for very unskilled cricket. 70 mph seamer runs up batsman plays and misses or edges to slip. Repeat almost every ball all day long. No spinners and not many cover drives in sight all day. Having said that our batting does look abysmal
ReplyDeleteThis what we pay Mickey Arthur the big bucks for.
ReplyDeleteGet the team to bat deliberately badly and be skittled out for less than 100.
All so the ECB pitch inspectors will get interested, and dock Worcester 27 points. Hey Presto, we finish ahead of them in the table.
Not many would be able to deep think a strategy like that, and so far its all coming to plan!